


The Paladin and the Drow

by SleepingForest (ThatTurtle)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Dark Elves, Dragons, Drow, Elves, Fantasy, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Paladins, Slow Build, Swords & Sorcery, but this isn't urban fantasy, lol i have no idea where this is going, the only fantasy i have experience writing is urban
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-02-18 23:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2365616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatTurtle/pseuds/SleepingForest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Paladin frees some human prisoners and unwittingly incites the rage of a Drow. But that's about to become the least of his worries...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Caught

The knight darted through the forest. A Drow doggedly pursued the youth.

"Idiot! You let them go!" He hissed.

The human did not reply. He skidded over an exposed tree root and stumbled. The Drow delivered a swift kick to his back.

The knight yelped as he landed face down.  
The Drow pinned him down and held his dagger against the side of the boy's neck.

"Damn Paladin." He growled. "You freed those other humans. You shouldn't have tried to be a hero, brat."

"It's my duty to defend the weak and innocent!" Was the boy's slightly muffled retort.

"Gods. Another fool with a hero complex." The Drow rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should just kill you..."

"I won't beg for my life."

The elf pushed the human onto his back. He stared at the rather pathetic looking young knight. Incredibly dark eyes met his amethyst ones.

"It's a pity you're such a nuisance. You have a nice face." He noted. "Your blood smells pure, too." The boy's irises were nearly as dark as the pupils.

 

The knight felt his cheeks heat up. Their encounter was interrupted by a loud screech. Birds scattered from a nearby tree.

The ground practically shook. They both recognized the thud of very heavy foot steps that were rapidly approaching. The trees parted.

A large creature with yellow and green scales loomed over them, glaring at the intruders with brilliant gold eyes.

"You have trespassed on dragon territory!" The beast roared. "Unhand the human, Drow." It commanded.

The Drow warily stood up and backed away. The dragon unfurled its tail, blocking any chance of escape.

"Come with me! Both of you! You must repent." It announced.

  
The Paladin scrambled to his feet.  
"What is the punishment, milord? Are we to be put to death?" He asked quietly.

"No." The dragon answered simply.  
The knight and the Drow exchanged glances and reluctantly began following the beast as it crashed through the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Drow seems to be implying that he's a Black Mage or something that could use Mr. Knight's blood in a ritual. 
> 
> Yeah, I have no idea why this came to me. I haven't even been playing any Etrian Odyssey lately. (EO isn't exactly typical swords and sorcery anyway.) The Paladin and the Drow have at least placeholder names at the moment, but I feel like they're kinda dumb. I still suck at naming characters. Anyway, I know this chapter was really short and doesn't really explain much, but hopefully I can elaborate in future chapters. Feedback is always appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

The Drow kept a stoic expression. He caught glimpses of fear flashing across the Paladin's face. The dark elf smirked, revealing his fangs.

"You scared?" He taunted.

"He said he wouldn't kill us. I have to trust that he'll keep his word." The knight murmured.

"You really are naive."

The boy shrugged. "He's a dragon. He could've easily killed us by now if he really wanted to. Why lie if it's unnecessary?"

"At least you're an optimist. But you'll change your mind when you're older." The Drow almost felt guilty for talking down to the hopeful little Paladin. Perhaps the boy hadn't witnessed enough cruelty yet to make him cynical.

_But it's better to be cynical than dead._

"Enough chatter!" The dragon boomed. He stopped in front of a simple gate. It was made of dark brown wood.

"We're here. I obviously cannot pass the gate in my current form. Go and sit in front of the steps. I will return shortly. Don't bother trying to shirk your penance by leaving. I will hunt you down." The dragon threatened. "And you both better be alive when I return." He added.

The Paladin took a deep breath before striding through the gate. He trotted over to the steps and sat down. He glanced up at the Drow and forced a sheepish grin.

"Fine." The elf scoffed. He darted through the gate. Seeing nowhere better to sit, he joined the knight.

"Your blood smells pure." He repeated. "But your eyes..." The Drow paused. He leaned in close to get a better look. "Were you ever cursed?"

"What? No!" The boy recoiled with a grimace, obviously mortified. "Besides, Paladins are kinda resistant to dark magic."

Both men were quite for a moment.

The knight broke the silence. "Why are you so concerned about my blood, anyway? I'm human. Only human. I thought we were like feral dogs to you people."

"Even feral dogs aren't completely useless." The Drow replied with a cheeky smirk. " I suppose it's irrelevant in the long run." He sighed and ran a hand through his white hair. "After we repent or whatever for trespassing, I doubt we'll ever cross paths again."

"Wait, really? No making me suffer for freeing your prisoners?" The knight asked brightly.

"Not worth it." The Drow scoffed. "Knowing your luck, we'll end up angering a Sphinx or a Mind Flayer next." He shuddered.

"H-hey! What makes you think I'm the unlucky one?" The human protested indignantly.

"C'mon, hero boy. We both know you were at my mercy before the dragon intervened."

The Paladin hung his head. "I can't argue there." He rested his chin on his knees and stared at the ground.

_Oh Gods. Is he gonna start crying?_

Not wanting to risk having a crying Paladin on his hands, the Drow stiffly extended a hand. He awkwardly patted the boy on the head. He was careful not to let his nails snag in the knight's dark brown hair.

"Um..." The brunet hesitated. "Thank you for letting this slide." He blurted. "I won't forget your mercy. I'll return the favor one day, somehow..."

"That's ridiculous." The Drow folded his arms. "You don't even know my name. See how pale I am? I live in the underground, genius. How the hell are you gonna pay me back, anyway?"

The Paladin tensed. "Oh. I guess you're right. But you were on the surface, and you seem to be okay in the sun light..."

"Yeah, well, I'm just weird like that. I don't exactly make coming up to the surface a regular habit. You can return the favor by not interfering in the affairs of Drow, little Paladin." The dark elf sighed.

"Alright..." The knight nodded. "But if you ever find yourself in trouble up here, call on me. My name is Yuri." He bowed.

"Fine."

A few moments later, a tall figure clad in a green cloak appeared. The Drow squinted incredulously. Yuri glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

"You." The Drow addressed the newcomer. "You've assumed human form."

"How astute of you." The young man grinned. "Anyway, I was serious about what I said earlier. You two need to go to the shrine and apologize. You really don't want one of the dragon gods angry at you."

"Point taken, sir." Yuri nodded in agreement. He stood up. "Where is the shrine?"

"At the top of the stairs."

The Drow glanced up to where the dragon pointed, then turned back and glared at him. "Up _there_? That'll take all day!" He squawked.

"Nonsense." The dragon replied. "If you leave now, you should be able to reach it by nightfall. There's a well and a few fruit trees up there, so you needn't worry about running out of supplies. Now get going."

Yuri began scampering up the steps like an excited puppy. "Mr. Drow, c'mon!" He chirped.

The Drow rolled his eyes. "Calm down, stupid kid. If you tire yourself out, I'm not hauling your butt up this hill." Despite his complaining, he slowly headed after the Paladin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuri is an adorable little dork. I _think_ he has a surname. I'm just not entirely sure if surnames are common place for humans in this setting. The Drow has a name. Like, a proper Drow name. I was seriously considering just giving him a mundane name but that didn't feel right. (Even if I thought it would be hilarious.) Anyway, he's kind of a brat so he didn't bother introducing himself when Yuri did. (And he didn't really explain why he's so interested in the Paladin boy's blood.) Yuri might be a dork but the Drow man is enigmatic.


	3. Chapter 3

Yuri seemed intent on at least _trying_ to make conversation with the sullen elf. "I never got your name." He pointed out.

The Drow sighed and rolled his eyes. "I suppose it's only fair that I return the courtesy. My name is Guleth Auvryani."

Yuri's head bobbed. "Gul-eth Au-vree-yahnee, did I say that right?"

Guleth grunted in the affirmative. "You know what, that's pretty damn close." He admitted. "Close enough."

"I didn't know that Drow used family names too." Yuri chirped in awe.

"Of course." Guleth answered rather smugly. "It makes identifying individuals easier. Don't you have a surname? A patronym or whatever?"

The brunet meekly looked away.

"What, are you an orphan? A bastard? Were you disowned?" The Drow raised an eyebrow.

"It's... complicated." Yuri mumbled, lowering his head.

 _Does the complication come from his eyes? I wouldn't be surprised if his parents abandoned him over something like that. Humans can be so petty._ Guleth hypocritically ignored that Drow would also sometimes exile or cull their own for minor differences that were considered ill omens.

"Eh. Compared to a Drow who isn't particularly bothered by sunlight, a weird eye color isn't that freakish." Auvryani clumsily tried to cheer up the kind fool.

"Your people really don't like bright light, huh?" Yuri mused.

"You wouldn't either if you'd evolved for life in the underground, kid." Guleth snorted. "Fair skin is easily burned. And our eyes are suited for near-darkness. We don't like having to work through the initial unpleasantness of venturing out here. Most Drow only do it out of necessity. You can't just force yourself out at high noon, either. You gotta slowly get yourself used to it and expose yourself to a bit more each time."

"So you have to build up tolerance... That makes sense." The Paladin agreed. "But we're probably about the same age! Why am I a kid?" He protested.

"Simple." Guleth smirked. "Adult humans are supposed to be taller than us. You're definitely not. And you don't have a mature jaw yet." He added, lightly poking the boy's cheek."

"N-not fair!" The brunet wailed. "I'm just short and young looking for my age. I'm old enough to be an official knight."

"Don't be so certain that we're the same age, human. For all you know, I could be old enough to be your grandfather." Guleth scowled.

"Wow, you look great for an old man." Yuri spoke with seemingly genuine conviction.

Guleth paused. He furrowed his brow and frowned. "Okay, I can't tell if you seriously mean that or you're joking."

Yuri flashed a cheeky grin. "I don't think you're much older than I am. If you were, you would've been able to catch me before we got into dragon territory."

The Drow's eyes narrowed. "You're lucky you have a cute face, brat." He muttered.

"That's not the first time you've said something like that." Yuri noted. "Do you really think I'm..."

Guleth felt his face heat up. He cleared his throat. "Just because I find you aesthetically pleasing in a non threatening sense doesn't mean I want to take you to bed with me." He huffed. "Besides, I thought humans had some stupid taboo about anything other than monogamous heterosexual couplings." He glared at the human. The Paladin was blushing.

"So uh... Drow don't really care about gender when it comes to that, then?" Yuri asked innocently.

"It's not quite... openly accepted, but nobody really cares what happens behind closed doors between consenting adults." Guleth sighed, running a hand through his hair.

The awkward silence that followed was broken by the human speaking.

"Something's coming." Yuri shot a nervous glance at Guleth.

The Drow sidestepped off the stairs onto the hill itself. He grabbed the Paladin by one of the straps on his pack. Guleth dragged the human with him behind a bush.

A tall, lanky figure dressed in a dark brown cloak loomed a few feet away. Peculiar tendrils dangled over where its mouth should have been. They fell past its jaw. Its hood obscured most of its other features.

Guleth froze and reached for his staff. "Dammit. I must have left it at the entrance... This is bad. What's a mind eater doing up here anyway?" He put a hand up to keep Yuri from approaching it.

"That's a Mind Eater?" The Paladin murmured in awe and barely suppressed horror.

"Yeah. Even we have reason to fear them." Auvryani whispered. "Don't even think about trying to make friends with it." He hissed.

"So... How do we beat it?" Yuri warily questioned the more knowledgeable man.

"You _don't_." He answered. "You stay as far away from them and their territory as possible and hope that you never run into one.

"Okay, that might be the most ideal solution, but there must be a way to defeat one, right?"

"If there _is_ a way for a human Paladin and a stupid black mage Drow to beat a Mind Eater, I have no idea how." Auvryani groaned.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be attacking us. I don't feel any different." Yuri remarked. "What if it's peaceful?"

Guleth's pale brows knit together in confusion and exasperation. "No, I highly doubt that." He sighed. The Drow paused. "Maybe it's not hungry? In that case, why hasn't it moved on yet? It's just... standing there. Oh no." His palm met his face. "We need to move, now." He hissed. "It could still catch us."

"W-wait!" The human protested. "The dragon didn't want us trying to kill each other, remember? Maybe the Mind Eater was like us and had to apologize for trespassing on dragon territory."

Auvryani sighed. "Fine. But don't be surprised if it tries hauling you off to its hive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Drow has a proper name now, yay. I actually did some research into the D&D conventions for Drow names. Not gonna lie, if I couldn't come up with a Drow name that I liked, I was just gonna give him an ordinary human name.
> 
>  _Mind flayers_ are © Wizards of the Coast.   
>  Mind Eaters are supposed to be a lawyer friendly alternative.
> 
> Anyway, lemme know what you think so far!


End file.
